U.S. patent application number 16/683757 was filed with the patent office on 2020-05-21 for beam seating system.
The applicant listed for this patent is Series International, LLC. Invention is credited to Alvaro Mauricio Olarte.
Application Number | 20200154892 16/683757 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 70727408 |
Filed Date | 2020-05-21 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200154892 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Olarte; Alvaro Mauricio |
May 21, 2020 |
Beam Seating System
Abstract
A beam seating assembly has a frame supporting a seating
surface. A beam secures to a first support and extends in a
longitudinal direction. A channel is located the beam free of the
first support. The frame has a lower portion with a connector that
is insertable into the channel transverse to the longitudinal
direction and the connector, once inserted into the channel, is
retained from removal out of the channel in a direction. The
connector is insertable into a first portion of the channel and a
second portion of the connector rotatable into a second portion of
the channel and then slidable away from the first portion such that
the first and second portions of the connector are retained within
the channel but are slidable in the longitudinal direction until
the connector is fixedly secured to the beam. The frame is made in
certain aspects from a flat plate.
Inventors: |
Olarte; Alvaro Mauricio;
(Aventura, FL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Series International, LLC |
Aventure |
FL |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
70727408 |
Appl. No.: |
16/683757 |
Filed: |
November 14, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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62767772 |
Nov 15, 2018 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 13/005 20130101;
A47C 7/56 20130101; A47C 7/50 20130101; A47C 11/005 20130101; A47C
1/124 20130101; F16M 13/02 20130101; A47C 1/121 20130101; A47C
7/543 20130101; A47C 1/126 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47C 7/50 20060101
A47C007/50; A47C 1/124 20060101 A47C001/124; A47C 7/56 20060101
A47C007/56; F16M 13/02 20060101 F16M013/02 |
Claims
1. A beam system for mounting chairs comprising: an elongated beam
configured to secure to a first support such that a rear face of
the elongated beam faces the first support; a front face of said
elongated beam having a channel, the channel defined by an upper
extension and a lower extension, the upper and lower extensions
extending outwardly from said front face; an inner and upper face
of said channel and an inner and lower face of said channel spaced
apart at a first distance; said upper extension having a downwardly
extending tab; said lower extension having an upwardly extending
tab wherein a second distance is defined between innermost surfaces
of said downwardly extending tab and said upwardly extending tab; a
connector which is configured to secure to a chair, said connector
configured to insert at least partially into the channel, wherein a
third distance is defined between a first and second edge of said
connector, the first edge being an uppermost edge of said connector
and the second edge being a lowermost edge of said connector; the
third distance larger than the second distance but smaller than the
first distance such that the first edge of the connector is
insertable into said channel at the upper extension at an angle
relative to the rear face such that the second edge of the
connector is outside of the channel and once inserted up towards
the upper extension, the second edge of the connector is
displaceable past the upwardly extending tab and once past the
upwardly extending tab, the connector is displaceable downwardly
such that the first and second edges are respectively retained by
the downwardly extending and upwardly extending tabs.
2. The system of claim 1 further comprising: a chair support
connectable to said connector and configured to clamp said upwardly
and downwardly extending tabs between said connector and said chair
support to clamp the chair support to the beam.
3. The system of claim 2 further comprising: a catch located in
said channel, said catch configured to interact with at least part
of said chair support to inhibit movement of said first edge
towards the upper extension.
4. The system of claim 3 wherein said catch interacts with a bolt
of the chair support which secures to the connector and through a
plate of the chair support.
5. The system of claim 4 wherein said bolt when tightened clamps
the connector and plate together over the downwardly and upwardly
extending tabs.
6. The system of claim 2 wherein: the chair support includes a
lower edge a face of the lower extension located outside the
channel adjacent the upwardly extending tab and the inner and lower
face which is located inside the channel adjacent the upwardly
extending tab; the lowermost edge of the connector configured to be
supported by the inner and lower face; and the lower edge of the
chair support configured to be supported by the face of the lower
extension when the connector is clamped to the beam.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the beam includes mounting tabs
located outside the channel and including at least part of the rear
face, a front face of the mounting tabs includes a notch therein
extending in a longitudinal direction.
8. The system of claim 7 further comprising a plurality of holes
located at the notch, the elongated beam secured to the first
support via the plurality of holes.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein the angle is a range of
angles.
10. A beam mounting system for chairs comprising: an elongated beam
having a channel; a connector configured to fit into and be
retained by said channel, said connector configured to mount a
chair to said elongated beam; wherein a first portion of said
connector is insertable into a first portion of said channel and
slidable in a first direction at a first angle such that a second
portion of said connector opposite the first portion of said
connector is thereby insertable into a second portion of said
channel after said connector has been slid in the first direction;
the connector, once slid in the first direction, is rotatable from
the first angle to a second angle such that during rotation to the
second angle, a second portion of said connector passes an
obstruction which is part of the beam and once the second portion
of the connector passes said obstruction, the connector is slidable
at the second angle into a second portion of the beam opposite the
first portion of the beam and thereby the connector is: inhibited
from rotating towards the first angle by the obstruction until the
connector is first slid opposite the first direction; and inhibited
from moving out of the channel by the first portion of said channel
such that a chair connected to the connector is supported by said
elongated beam.
11. The system of claim 10 wherein beam includes an outer face
oriented inwardly with respect to the channel and positioned
adjacent the obstruction, the outer face interacts with a frame of
the chair to support the chair and inhibit movement in the first
direction beyond a predetermined position.
12. The system of claim 10 wherein the first angle is a fixed
angle.
13. The system of claim 10 wherein the second angle is a fixed
angle.
14. The system of claim 13 wherein the first angle is a fixed
angle.
15. The system of claim 10 wherein: the first portion of said
connector is an upper portion of said connector; the first portion
of said channel is an upper portion of said channel; the second
portion of said connector is a lower portion of said connector; and
the second portion of said channel is a lower portion of said
channel.
16. The system of claim 15 wherein said elongated beam is mounted
to a first support and a plurality of chairs each having one or
more connectors are mounted to the elongated beam.
17. A beam seating assembly comprising: a frame supporting a
seating surface; a beam configured to secure to a first support
with a first face of said beam facing said first support, said beam
extending in a longitudinal direction; a channel located in a
second face of said beam; said frame having a lower portion with a
connector attached thereto, the connector insertable into said
channel from a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction
and the connector, once inserted into said channel, retained from
removal out of said channel in a linear direction transverse to the
longitudinal direction.
18. The assembly of claim 17 further comprising: the connector
insertable into a first portion of said channel and a second
portion of the connector rotatable into a second portion of said
channel and then the connector slidable away from a deepest part of
the first portion in a sliding direction such that the first and
second portions of the connector are retained within the first and
second portions of said channel but are slidable in the
longitudinal direction until the connector is fixedly secured to
the beam.
19. The assembly of claim 18 further comprising: a catch located in
said channel; a portion of said connector configured to interact
with the catch to inhibit movement opposite the sliding
direction.
20. The assembly of claim 17 wherein the portion of said connector
is a bolt which secures the connector to said frame.
21. The assembly of claim 17 wherein the frame is formed from a
metal plate which is stamped and the first portion is formed by
bending part of said metal plate relative to an adjacent portion of
said frame.
22. The assembly of claim 17 wherein the linear direction is
opposite the direction.
23. The assembly of claim 17 further comprising a plurality of
holes spaced along said longitudinal direction and located within
the channel and extending through the beam and said beam secures to
said first support through the holes with anchors.
24. The assembly of claim 23 further comprising: a plurality of
chairs comprises a number of chairs (N) and each chair comprising
at least two frames. said beam secured to said first support using
a number of the anchors (A) such that A is greater than
(N+1).times.0.5 and A is less than (N+1).times.1.75.
25. A beam mounting system for chairs comprising: a beam having a
longitudinal channel in a front face thereof and the channel
extending in a longitudinal direction, the beam securable to a
first support; a chair having a connector secured thereto, the
connector configured to secure to the beam by the connector
inserting into the channel from the front face at any position
along said beam, the connector slidable within the channel in the
longitudinal direction without interference from the first support
and the connector slidable until the connector is securely affixed
to the beam such that the connector ceases to be slidable in the
longitudinal direction; wherein when the connector is securely
affixed to the beam the connector secures to the beam without
interaction with a rear face of the beam.
26. The system of claim 25 wherein the chair includes a plurality
of chairs securable at any position along the beam not occupied by
another one of the plurality of chairs.
27. The system of claim 25 wherein the connector includes a
threaded hole which connects to a bolt secured to the chair and at
least one post is located adjacent the threaded hole and extends to
an end of the post such that the post bears against at least part
of the chair when at least part of the beam is clamped between the
chair and the connector.
28. The system of claim 25 further comprising: a railing and a
plurality of supports connected to the railing at one end and a
second end of each of the plurality of supports including the
connector such that the railing is configured to secure to the beam
by the connectors of the first supports located adjacent at least
one of the connectors of the chair.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The following relates to mounting systems. More
particularly, the following relates to a beam based mounting system
for support items such as chairs, tables, railings and others which
are typically in large stadiums and auditoriums.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Beam based seating has been provided in a number of
different forms where a beam is supported along rows of seating and
then the chairs are connected to that beam. These beam systems
typically utilize large stair shaped risers in existing stadiums to
secure to. Alternately, the beam is secured via supports to the
floor of the stadium.
[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,858 is one such beam system where plates
23 are secured to the riser 32 and then a beam 10 is secured on top
of that plate 23 at a distance away from the riser 32. The beam 10
is provided with structure which allows the seat support 60 which
includes a clamp 68 and return portion 69 to secure over and then
under the back of the beam to allow the seat to be supported by the
beam. While this beam system does provide for mounting of beam
based seating systems, there are a number of disadvantages. First,
since the plates 23 are required to space the beam away from the
riser 32, there is necessarily additional space taken up. In a
large stadium, especially with new construction, one inch of space
saved per row can add many additional rows in the sense that one
inch per row eventually adds up to a new row. The '858 patent
although providing for a convenient mounting method for the chairs,
suffers the disadvantage of taking significant space and having a
beam which projects out rather far from the concrete riser, which
means the stadium is less flexible to utilizing the space with the
seats removed, which may be desirable in certain instances.
[0004] The '858 patent also suffers the disadvantage that the
plates 23 all need to be independently set level with one another,
which can be a difficult task of lining up hundreds of these plates
23 in a particular job. Thus, it is desirable to eliminate or at
least reduce the amount of leveling measurements required for
proper installation of a beam system.
[0005] Further, the '858 patent requires use of rather complicated
molds to create the support 60 with clamp/return 68/69 to secure to
the beam in that typically a glass reinforced nylon material is
used for the part of the support 60 which secures around the
described rear overhang of the beam. Given that the beam extrusion
is also custom and the mold for the support is too, the capital
costs and manufacturing difficulties result in increased expense.
Further, the glass reinforced nylon material can degrade over time
when exposed to sunlight.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide a beam system for mounting chairs which takes up less space
from the riser.
[0007] It is a further object to provide a beam system which is
easier to install and less complicated to manufacture.
[0008] The terms "first" and "second" are used to distinguish one
element, set, data, object or thing from another, and are not used
to designate relative position or arrangement in time.
[0009] As used herein the term "angle" refers to a range of angles
unless stated specifically that such angle is fixed (i.e. not a
range).
[0010] These and other objects are achieved by providing a beam
mounting system for chairs which provides a channel or opening for
a connector to fit in from the front of the beam. The connector
configured to secure the chair to the beam and one end of the
connector insertable into one side of the channel and then
rotatable and slidable within the channel transverse to the
longitudinal direction such that the connector is securable to the
elongated beam and retained in the channel by the elongated
beam.
[0011] Further objects are achieved by providing a method of
connecting support items such as furniture or railings to a beam
system for stadiums which includes mounting a beam to a first
support of a stadium and hanging support items from a protrusion of
the beam using a connector which extends away from the first
support and then damping the
[0012] Other objects are achieved by providing a chair frame for a
fixed seat which has a leg portion, securing portion, back support
portion and seat support portion formed from a bent and stamped
plate such that the foregoing portions of the frame are formed from
a single piece of metal. A bend is located between the leg and
securing portions to provide a surface transverse to the leg
portion. This surface can be mounted to a fixed support which may
be a beam but could alternatively be other fixed supports such as
concrete risers, floors or other riser or mounting types/options.
The pivot mechanism is also provided and is manufactured from flat
plates.
[0013] In certain aspects a beam system for mounting chairs is
provided having an elongated beam configured to secure to a first
support such that a rear face of the elongated beam faces the
support. A front face of the elongated beam has a channel by an
upper extension and a lower extension, the upper and lower
extensions extending outwardly from the front face. An inner and
upper face of the channel and an inner and lower face of the
channel spaced apart at a first distance. The upper extension has a
downwardly extending tab and the lower extension has an upwardly
extending tab. A second distance is defined between innermost
surfaces of the downwardly extending tab and the upwardly extending
tab. A connector is configured to secure to a chair. The connector
being configured to insert at least partially into the channel. A
third distance is defined between a first and second edge of the
connector, the first edge being an uppermost edge of the connector
and the second edge being a lowermost edge of the connector. The
third distance is larger than the second distance but smaller than
the first distance such that the first edge of the connector is
insertable into the channel at the upper extension at an angle
relative to the rear face such that the second edge of the
connector is outside of the channel and once inserted up towards
the upper extension, the second edge of the connector is
displaceable past the upwardly extending tab and once past the
upwardly extending tab, the connector is displaceable downwardly
such that the first and second edges are respectively retained by
the downwardly extending and upwardly extending tabs.
[0014] In certain embodiments a chair support is connectable to the
connector and is configured to clamp the upwardly and downwardly
extending tabs between the connector and the chair support to clamp
the chair support to the beam. A catch may be located in the
channel, the catch is configured to interact with at least part of
the chair support to inhibit movement of the first edge towards the
upper extension. The catch interacts with a bolt of the chair
support which secures to the connector and through a plate of the
chair support. The bolt, when tightened, clamps the connector and
plate together over the downwardly and upwardly extending tabs. In
certain aspects, the chair support includes a lower edge and a face
of the lower extension is located outside the channel adjacent the
upwardly extending tab and the inner and lower face which is
located inside the channel adjacent the upwardly extending tab. The
lowermost edge of the connector is configured to be supported by
the inner and lower face. The lower edge of the chair support is
configured to be supported by the face of the lower extension when
the connector is damped to the beam. The beam includes mounting
tabs located outside the channel and including at least part of the
rear face, a front face of the mounting tabs includes a notch
therein extending in a longitudinal direction. A plurality of holes
are located at the notch, the elongated beam is secured to the
first support via the plurality of holes. In certain aspects, the
angle is a range of angles and in other aspects, the angle is a
fixed angle. In certain aspects a railing is provided with a
plurality of supports connected to the railing at one end and a
second end of each of the plurality of supports including the
connector such that the railing is configured to secure to the beam
by the connectors of the first supports located adjacent at least
one of the connectors of the chair. In certain aspects a plurality
of holes are spaced along the longitudinal direction of the beam
and located within the channel and extending through the beam and
the beam secures to said first support through the holes with
anchors.
[0015] In other aspects, a beam mounting system for chairs is
provided including an elongated beam having a channel. A connector
is configured to fit into and be retained in the channel. The
connector is configured to mount a chair to the elongated beam. A
first portion of the connector is insertable into a first portion
of the channel and slidable in a first direction at a first angle
such that a second portion of the connector opposite the first
portion of the connector is thereby insertable into a second
portion of the channel after the connector has been slid in the
first direction. The connector, once slid in the first direction,
is rotatable from the first angle to a second angle such that
during rotation to the second angle, a second portion of the
connector passes an obstruction which is part of the beam and once
the second portion of the connector passes the obstruction, the
connector is slidable at the second angle into a second portion of
the beam opposite the first portion of the beam and thereby the
connector is: inhibited from rotating towards the first angle by
the obstruction until the connector is first slid opposite the
first direction; and inhibited from moving out of the channel by
the first portion of said channel such that a chair connected to
the connector is supported by said elongated beam.
[0016] In certain aspects the beam includes an outer face oriented
inwardly with respect to the channel and positioned adjacent the
obstruction, the outer face interacts with a frame of the chair to
support the chair and inhibit movement in the first direction
beyond a predetermined position. In certain aspects the first angle
is a fixed angle. In other aspects the second angle is a fixed
angle. In other aspects the first and second angles are both fixed
angles. In certain aspects the first portion of the connector is an
upper portion of the connector and the first portion of the channel
is an upper portion of the channel. The second portion of the
connector is a lower portion of the connector; and the second
portion of the channel is a lower portion of the channel. In
certain aspects, the elongated beam is mounted to a first support
and a plurality of chairs each having one or more connectors are
mounted to the elongated beam.
[0017] In certain embodiments a method installing a beam seating
system is provided including one or more of the steps of providing
a plurality of chairs, each having at least one connector;
providing an elongate beam having a channel on a front face
thereof, the channel configured to receive the connector; securing
the elongate beam to one or more supports; inserting the connectors
into a first portion of the channel and rotating the connectors
such that a second portion of the connector passes over an
obstruction on the elongate beam; sliding the connectors in a first
direction such that the obstruction inhibits rotation of the second
portion out of the channel; and securing the connectors to the
elongate beam with one or more fasteners.
[0018] In certain aspects the securing step causes the connectors
and a seat support to which the connector is attached to clamp the
obstruction between the connector and the seat support. In other
aspects, the channel includes a catch therein and the fasteners
engage the catch to inhibit sliding movement in a second direction
opposite the first direction. In other aspects, the step of
securing the elongated beam comprises drilling a plurality of holes
in the beam and anchoring the elongated beam through the plurality
of holes. In other aspects, the connector is a flat plate.
[0019] In other embodiments a seating assembly is provided with a
frame supporting a seating surface. A beam is configured to secure
to a first support with a first face of said beam facing said first
support, the beam extends in a longitudinal direction. A channel is
located in a second face of the beam. The frame has a lower portion
with a connector attached thereto, the connector is insertable into
the channel from a direction transverse to the longitudinal
direction.
[0020] In certain aspects the connector is insertable into a first
portion of the channel and a second portion of the connector
rotatable into a second portion of the channel and then the
connector is slidable away from a deepest part of the first portion
in a sliding direction such that the first and second portions of
the connector are retained within the first and second portions of
the channel but are slidable in the longitudinal direction until
the connector is fixedly secured to the beam. In other aspects, a
catch is located in the channel and a portion of the connector
configured to interact with the catch to inhibit movement opposite
the sliding direction. In other aspects, the portion of the
connector is a bolt which secures the connector to said frame. In
other aspects, the frame is formed from a metal plate which is
stamped and the first portion is formed by bending part of said
metal plate relative to an adjacent portion of the frame.
[0021] In other embodiments a beam mounting system for chairs is
provided with a beam having a longitudinal channel in a front face
thereof and the channel extending in a longitudinal direction, the
beam securable to a first support. A chair, has a connector secured
thereto, the connector configured to secure to the beam by the
connector inserting into the channel from the front face at any
position along the beam. The connector is slidable within the
channel in the longitudinal direction without interference from the
first support until the connector is securely affixed to the beam
such that the connector ceases to be slidable in the longitudinal
direction. When the connector is securely affixed to the beam the
connector secures to the beam without interaction with a rear face
of the beam.
[0022] In certain aspects the chair includes a plurality of chairs
securable at any position along the beam not occupied by another
one of the plurality of chairs. In other aspects the connector
includes a threaded hole which connects to a bolt secured to the
chair and at least one post is located adjacent the threaded hole
and extends to an end of the post such that the post bears against
at least part of the chair when at least part of the beam is
clamped between the chair and the connector.
[0023] In one aspect a fixed chair for stadium or auditorium
seating is provided with a metal frame including four portions. The
four portions include a securing portion, a leg portion, a back
support portion and a seat support portion. The four portions are
made together from a single flat plate which is stamped and bent.
At least part of the leg portion includes a stamping therein which
creates a raised portion of said single plate relative to an
adjacent portion. A bend in the single plate between the leg
portion and the securing portion is provides so that the securing
portion and the leg portion are transverse to each other. The
securing portion attaches to a fixed support such that the fixed
chair is cantilevered from the securing portion.
[0024] In certain aspects a backrest is connected to the back
support portion. A pivot element is connected to the seat support
portion and a seat is connected to and configured to rotate about
the pivot element between occupied and unoccupied positions. In
certain aspects at least two pins extend from the seat and interact
with the pivot. The pivot includes two plates having at least two
holes. A first one of the holes receives a first one of the two
pins allowing the first pin to rotate in the first hole about an
axis. A second one of the at least two holes in each of the two
plates is slot shaped such that when the first pin rotates in the
first hole, the second pin moves along the slot. A bumper is
located in at least one of the second holes. In certain aspects a
first one of the two plates is an inner plate and a second one of
the two plates is a middle plate located between the inner plate
and the seat support portion. The slot of the middle plate has a
second slot along a direction of the axis which holds the bumper
therein at one end of the slot. The slot of the inner plate
configured to inhibit removal of the bumper from the middle plate
along the direction. In certain aspects the bend is approximately a
90 degree angle. In other aspects, the fixed support is a beam.
[0025] In certain aspects at least two pins extend from the seat
and interact with the pivot. The pivot is comprised of two plates,
each plate having at least two holes, a first one of said at least
two holes in each of the two plates receives a first one of said at
least two pins therein, allowing the first pin to rotate in the
first hole about an axis. A second one of the at least two holes in
each of the two plates is slot shaped such that when said first pin
rotates in the first hole, the second pin moves along the slot. The
first hole in the first plate is larger than the first hole in the
second plate and the first one of said at least two pins includes a
catch at one end which inhibits movement of the first one of said
at least two pins in at least one direction along the axis due to
the smaller first hole in the second plate being smaller than a
dimension of the catch.
[0026] In one aspect a chair is provided with a metal frame having
first and second pieces, the first and second pieces each including
four portions and the first and second pieces spaced apart. The
four portions include a securing portion, a leg portion, a back
support portion and a seat support portion. The four portions are
made together from a single flat plate which is stamped and bent.
At least part of the leg portion includes a stamping therein which
creates a raised portion of said single plate relative to an
adjacent portion. A bend in the single plate is between the leg
portion and the securing portion such that the securing portion and
the leg portion are transverse to each other. A backrest is
connected between the two back support portions of the first and
second pieces. A seat is connected between the two seat support
portions of the first and second pieces. The backrest and seat are
supported entirely by the securing portions and through the leg
portions of the first and second pieces such that the chair is
cantilevered from a first support secured to the securing
portions.
[0027] In certain aspects, the bend is approximately a 90 degree
angle. In other aspects, first support is a beam or a fixed
support. In other aspects a pivot element is connected to each seat
support portion and the seat is connected to and configured to
rotate about said the element between occupied and unoccupied
positions. In other aspects at least two pins extend from the seat
and interact with the pivot. The pivot is made of two plates, each
plate has at least two holes. A first one the two holes in each of
the two plates receives a first one of the two pins therein and is
located at an axis and allows the first pin to rotate in the first
hole about the axis. A second one of the two holes in each of the
two plates is slot shaped such that when the first pin rotates in
the first hole, the second pin moves along the slot. A bumper
located in at least one of the second holes. In further aspects a
first one of the two plates is an inner plate and a second one of
the two plates is a middle plate located between the inner plate
and the seat support portion. The slot of the middle plate has a
second slot which holds the bumper therein at one end of the slot.
The slot of the inner plate is configured to inhibit removal of the
bumper from the middle plate along the direction. In additional
aspects, the second slot is part of an opening containing the slot
and the second slot. In still other aspects an outermost edge of
the second one of said two holes is spaced apart from the axis at a
distance and a first distance of seat is at least as long as the
distance, the first distance measured from the first one of the at
least two pins to a first surface transverse to a surface from
which the first one of the at least two pins extends.
[0028] In further aspects a seat pivot mechanism is provided
including a seat having at least two pins extending therefrom. At
least two plates are provided, each has at least two holes, a first
one of said at least two holes in each of the two plates receives a
first one of the at least two pins therein, allowing the first pin
to rotate in the first hole about an axis. A second one of the at
least two holes in each of the two plates is slot shaped such that
when said first pin rotates in the first hole, the second pin moves
along the slot. A bumper is located in at least one of the second
holes. A first one of the two plates is an inner plate, a second
one of the two plates being a middle plate located between the
inner plate and a seat support. The slot of the middle plate has a
second slot which holds the bumper therein at one end of the slot.
The slot of the inner plate configured to inhibit removal of the
bumper from the middle plate along the direction.
[0029] In certain aspects the slots of the inner and middle plates
include a semi-circular section. In other aspects the at least two
pins includes at least three pins and the first pin is a middle pin
between the second and a third pin, and the first and second plates
comprising a third hole which is slot shaped and configured to
receive the third pin and allow the first or second pin to move
along said third hole. In other aspects the second hole includes
two concentric circular sections spaced apart at a distance at
least as large as a diameter of the second pin. In other aspects
ends of the second hole provide stops which define occupied and
unoccupied positions of the seat.
[0030] In certain aspects the at least two holes and the at least
two pins are configured such that at an insertion angle, the at
least two pins are insertable in a direction perpendicular to the
axis into the mechanism such that the second pin inserts through
both the first and second ones of the at least two holes in the
direction and such that once inserted, the second pin inhibits
movement of the seat in the direction. In other aspects the first
pin comprises a catch extending from an end thereof in a direction
outwards with respect to the axis and the catch and first hole of
the inner plate are dimensioned so as to inhibit movement of the
first pin along the axis out of the mechanism.
[0031] In further aspects a seat pivot mechanism includes a seat
having at least a first and a second pin extending therefrom. Two
plates are provided with each plate having a slot. A first portion
of the slot is configured to support the first pin and allow the
first pin to rotate about an axis passing through a center of the
first pin. A second portion of the slot is configured to receive
the second pin and allow the second pin to move along a radial path
defined by a distance between the first and second pins such that
the second portion of the slot includes first and second stops
which interact with the second pin at open and closed positions of
the seat to arrest movement of the second pin along the radial
path. The first and second portions of the slot are in
communication such that at an insertion angle, the second pin is
insertable in a direction perpendicular to the axis into the slot
in a manner that the second pin passes the first portion of the
slot prior to being positioned in the second portion of the slot. A
catch extends from an end of the first pin in an outward direction
with respect to the axis, wherein the first portion of the slot in
a first one of the plates is narrower than the first portion of the
slot in a second one of the plates such that the catch is inhibited
from removal from the first portion of the slot in a direction
along the axis.
[0032] In further aspects a method of manufacturing a plurality of
chairs is provided including one or more of the steps of: providing
a plurality of frame pieces, each frame piece cut from one or more
flat plates utilizing a two dimensional cutting pattern such that
at least two of the plurality of frame pieces were cut from one
flat plate, each frame piece comprising four portions which are a
securing portion, a leg portion, a back support portion and a seat
support portion; providing a plurality of backrests and connecting
each backrest between the two back supports of two of the plurality
of frame pieces; providing a plurality of seats and connecting each
seat between the two seat support portions of the two of the
plurality of frame pieces, the backrest and seat supported entirely
by the securing portions and through the leg portions of the first
and second pieces such that each chair is configured to be
cantilevered from a first support secured to the securing portions
and connection of the chair to the first support is a removable
connection.
[0033] In certain aspects the seat has at least two pins extending
therefrom and at least two plates are connected to the two of the
plurality of frame pieces, has at least two holes, a first one of
said at least two holes in each of the two plates receives a first
one of said at least two pins therein, allowing the first pin to
rotate in the first hole about an axis, a second one of said at
least two holes in each of the two plates is slot shaped such that
when said first pin rotates in the first hole, the second pin moves
along the slot, a first one of the two plates being an inner plate,
a second one of the two plates being a middle plate located between
the inner plate and a seat support, the slot of the middle plate
having a second slot which holds the bumper therein at one end of
the slot. In other aspects the plurality of frame pieces are
provided with a bend between the securing portion and the leg
support portion. In further aspects the securing portion has one or
more holes therein and a connector part is secured through the one
or more holes to the securing portion, the connector part including
a face transverse to a face of the securing portion through which
the one or more holes pass. In other aspects, the removable
connection allows for separation from the first support by
loosening fewer than six fasteners. In other aspects the removable
connection allows for separation from the first support by
loosening four or fewer fasteners. In certain aspects separation
following loosening requires one or more of a sliding and a
rotating movement of the frame pieces corresponding to each
chair.
[0034] In certain aspects a method of providing a beam mounting
system for auditoriums includes one or more of the steps of:
providing a beam which is elongated along a length between two
ends; securing the beam to a first support such that a rear face of
the beam faces the first support and the beam protrudes outwards
with respect to the first support wherein a distance between the
rear face and the first support is less than 50% a maximum amount
which the beam protrudes with respect to the rear face; mounting a
plurality of support items to the beam from a side other than the
two ends of the beam such that a connector of each support item
hangs from beam to allow the support item to slide along the length
but be retained in a direction transverse the length such that the
connector is slidable without interference other than from other
support items and corresponding connectors also hung from the beam;
tightening the connector of each support item such that the
connector clamps the beam such that the support item is no longer
slidable along the length.
[0035] In certain aspects the first support is a concrete riser. In
other aspects the step of securing the beam to the first support
comprises drilling a plurality of holes in the first support and
securing the beam to the first support through the beam with
anchors which pass through the beam and into respective ones of the
plurality of holes. In other aspects the step of securing the beam
further comprises providing one or more shims and positioning said
shims between the first face and the first support such that the
shims are clamped between the first face and the first support. In
other aspects securing includes drilling a plurality of holes in
the first support includes aligning the beam with the first support
and drilling through the beam and the first support. In certain
aspects the beam includes a notch extending longitudinally along
the beam and the securing includes drilling of the holes through
the notch. In certain aspects the connector mounts inside a channel
of the beam and clamps the beam between the connector and the
support item. In certain aspects the distance between the rear face
and the first support is less than 10% of the maximum amount. In
certain aspects, the distance between the rear face and the first
support is less 10 cm, more preferably less than 5 cm and more
preferably less than 2 cm. In certain aspects wherein the beam
protrudes away from the first support to provide a channel with an
opening facing away from the first support such that the connector
is inserted into the channel without interacting directly with the
rear face of the beam. In certain aspects the beam protrudes away
from the first support to provide at least once catch with a
channel positioned between the catch and the rear face, the catch
facing upwards or rearwards or forwards and the connector
configured to fit over the catch and into the channel to mount the
support item to the beam. In certain aspects the support items hang
from the beam without the connector contacting the rear face. In
certain aspects the support item is a chair. In certain aspects the
securing step includes providing anchors which pass through holes
in the beam and into the first support and wherein a distance from
the first support to the rear face of the beam is less than a
thickness of the beam where the anchors pass through the beam. In
certain aspects said securing step includes placing one or more
spacers between the beam and the first support. In certain aspects
the one or more spacers includes a shim which adjusts positioning
of the beam to account for irregularities in the first support. In
further aspects the support item is a railing. In certain aspects
the securing step includes providing anchors which pass through
holes in the beam and into the first support, the holes positioned
in intervals along the length of the beam. In certain aspects the
holes are positioned within a channel of the beam and the connector
inserts into the channel such that the hole is between the
connector and the first support. In other aspects the non-metallic
spacer inhibits corrosion between the beam and concrete of the
first support. In certain aspects the first support includes a
curved upright wall and said securing step further comprises:
anchoring a portion of the beam to conform to the curve of the
upright wall such that the anchoring causes the beam to bend, the
bending moving the first face of the beam closer to the vertical
wall and the anchoring holding the beam in a bent configuration. In
certain aspects the anchoring step includes anchoring the beam
proximate to a first end of the beam and progressively anchoring
the beam to the first support starting proximate the first end and
moving towards a second end of the beam such that each anchor
progressively bends the beam. In further aspects the mounting step
comprises inserting an upper end of the connector into an upper end
of a channel in the protrusion of the beam and rotating a bottom
end of the connector past an obstruction on a bottom portion of the
channel; and the tightening step comprises securing the connector
to the beam such that the obstruction is damped between the
connector and a support of the one or more support items and the
upper end of the connector is retained in the upper end of the
channel.
[0036] In other aspects a method of installing a beam mounting
system on a curved riser includes one or more of the steps of:
providing an beam which has a length and which is elongated and
substantially straight in a direction and has a first face and a
second face, the second face containing a protrusion configured to
receive a connector which hangs from the protrusion to mount a
support item connected to the connector to the beam; positioning
the beam adjacent a first support, the first support including an
upright wall which is curved; anchoring a portion of the beam to
conform to the curve of the upright wall such that the anchoring
causes the beam to bend, the bending moving the first face of the
beam closer to the vertical wall and the anchoring holding the beam
in a bent configuration; mounting one or more support items to the
beam by hanging the connector from the protrusion.
[0037] In certain aspects the protrusion defines a channel and the
hanging includes inserting the connector into the channel. In other
aspects the bend in the beam is created without use of hydraulic or
electric bending tools other than tools used in the anchoring
step.
[0038] In other aspects a method of providing a beam mounting
system for auditoriums includes one or more of the steps of:
providing a beam which is elongated along a length; securing the
beam to a first support such that a bottom face of the beam faces
the first support and the beam includes a protrusion which
protrudes upwards with respect to the first support, the first
support comprising a concrete floor; mounting a plurality of
support items to the beam from a side other than ends of the beam
such that a connector of each support item clamps to the beam
without interaction with a bottom of the beam to allow the support
item to slide along the length but be retained in a direction
transverse the length; tightening the connector of each support
item to damp the connector to the beam without penetrating the beam
such that the support item is no longer slidable along the
length.
[0039] In other aspects a method of installing a beam mounting
system on a curved riser includes one or more of the steps of:
providing an beam which has a length and which is elongated in a
direction and has a first face and a second face, the second face
configured to receive a connector securable to a support item which
is mounted the beam, wherein the beam is metallic; positioning the
beam adjacent a first support which comprises concrete, the first
support including a wall with one or more spacers between the beam
and the first support; anchoring a portion of the beam with a
plurality of spaced anchors located between the two ends of the
beam, the spaced anchors extending into the wall approximately
perpendicular to the wall and the first face, the anchoring
pressing the one or more spacers between the first wall and the
beam and the one or more spacers separating the metal of the beam
from the concrete of the first support.
[0040] In certain aspects the one or more spacers are non-metallic
and the beam is aluminum. In certain aspects the method includes
mounting a plurality of support items to the beam via the connector
of each support item.
[0041] In other aspects a method of installing a beam seating
system includes one or more of the steps of: providing a plurality
of chairs, each having at least one connector; providing an
elongate beam having a first face and a protrusion extending from a
second face of the beam, the protrusion configured to secure to the
connector; securing the elongate beam to a support such that the
first face faces the supports and a non-metallic spacer is damped
between the first face and the support; connecting the connectors
to the elongate beam.
[0042] In other aspects the method includes connecting the
connectors to the beam comprises inserting the connectors from the
front face into a first portion of the channel and rotating the
connectors such that a second portion of the connector passes over
an obstruction on the elongate beam, sliding the connectors in a
first direction such that the obstruction inhibits rotation of the
second portion out of the channel and securing the connectors to
the beam with one or more fasteners. In certain aspects said
plurality of chairs comprises a number of chairs (N), and said
securing step comprises securing the beam to the support using a
number of anchors (A) which are spaced with respect to each other
along a longitudinal length of the elongate beam such that A is
greater than (N+1).times.0.5 and A is less than (N+1).times.1.75.
In other aspects the method includes providing an elongate railing
having a plurality of railing supports, the railing supports
connected to the elongate railing at one end and including one of
the at least one connector at another end of the railing supports;
connecting the connectors of the elongate railing to the elongate
beam such that the elongate beam supports the elongate railing;
[0043] In certain aspects the connectors are connected and the
railing and plurality of railing supports such that the railing is
positioned: above, behind or above and behind the elongate
beam.
[0044] In other aspects a method of installing a beam mounting
system includes one or more of: providing an elongate beam;
providing a plurality of chairs, each having at least one
connector, said plurality of chairs comprises a number of chairs
(N); securing the elongate beam to a support using a number of
anchors (A) which pass through the elongate beam and are spaced
with respect to each other along a longitudinal length of the
elongate beam such that A is greater than (N+1).times.0.5 and A is
less than (N+1).times.1.75; securing said connector of said
plurality of chairs to the elongate beam to thereby secure the
plurality of chairs to the support.
[0045] In other aspects the first face faces the support and the
first face is located relative to the first support less than 50%
of a distance from the first support to a maximum extension of the
beam perpendicular to the first support and the elongate beam is
secured to the support.
[0046] In certain aspects a fixed chair for stadium or auditorium
seating includes a metal frame including four portions comprised of
a securing portion, a leg portion, a back support portion and a
seat support portion, the four portions made together from a single
flat plate which is stamped and bent wherein at least part of the
leg portion includes a stamping therein which creates a raised
portion of said single plate relative to an adjacent portion. A
bend in said single plate between said leg portion and said
securing portion such that said securing portion and said leg
portion are transverse to each other. The securing portion is
configured to attach to a fixed support such that the fixed chair
is cantilevered from said securing portion. In certain aspects a
backrest is connected to said back support portion and a pivot
element is connected to said seat support portion and a seat
connected to and configured to rotate about said pivot element
between occupied and unoccupied positions. In certain aspects at
least two pins extend from said seat and interacting with said
pivot and said pivot comprised of two plates, each plate having at
least two holes, a first one of said at least two holes in each of
the two plates receives a first one of said at least two pins
therein, allowing the first pin to rotate in the first hole about
an axis. A second one of said at least two holes in each of the two
plates is slot shaped such that when said first pin rotates in the
first hole, the second pin moves along the slot.
[0047] In certain aspects one of the two plates being an inner
plate, a second one of the two plates being a middle plate located
between the inner plate and the seat support portion. The slot of
the middle plate having a second slot along a direction of the axis
which holds the bumper therein at one end of the slot. The slot of
the inner plate is configured to inhibit removal of a bumper from
the middle plate along the direction. In other aspects at least two
pins extend from said seat and interact with said pivot and said
pivot comprised of two plates, each plate having at least two
holes, a first one of said at least two holes in each of the two
plates receives a first one of said at least two pins therein,
allowing the first pin to rotate in the first hole about an axis. A
second one of said at least two holes in each of the two plates is
slot shaped such that when said first pin rotates in the first
hole, the second pin moves along the slot. The first hole in the
first plate is larger than the first hole in the second plate and
the first one of said at least two pins includes a catch at one end
which inhibits movement of the first one of said at least two pins
in at least one direction along the axis due to the smaller first
hole in the second plate being smaller than a dimension of the
catch. In certain aspects the bend is approximately a 90 degree
angle. In certain aspects the fixed support is a beam.
[0048] In other aspects a chair is provided with a metal frame
having first and second pieces, the first and second pieces each
including three portions, the first and second pieces spaced apart
and the three portions comprised of a securing portion, a back
support portion and a seat support portion, the three portions made
together from a single flat plate. A backrest is connected between
the two back support portions of the first and second pieces. A
seat is connected between the two seat support portions of the
first and second pieces. The backrest and seat are supported
entirely by the securing portions via the back and seat support
portions of the first and second pieces such that the chair is
cantilevered from a first support secured to the securing
portions.
[0049] In certain aspects securing portions of the first and second
pieces are each affixed to one of a plurality of connector elements
and the connector element is configured to secure to a beam mounted
to the first support. In certain aspects the first support is a
beam. In other aspects a pivot element is connected to each said
seat support portion and said seat connected to and configured to
rotate about said pivot element between occupied and unoccupied
positions. In other aspects at least two pins extend from said seat
and interacting with said pivot. The pivot is comprised of a plate
having at least two holes, a first one of said at least two holes
receives a first one of said at least two pins therein at an axis
and allows the first pin to rotate in the first hole about the
axis. A second one of said at least two holes is slot shaped such
that when said first pin rotates in the first hole, the second pin
moves along the slot. In certain aspects a first one of the two
plates is an inner plate, a second one of the two plates being a
middle plate located between the inner plate and the seat support
portion. The slot of the middle plate has a second slot which holds
the bumper therein at one end of the slot. The slot of the inner
plate is configured to inhibit removal of the bumper from the
middle plate along the direction.
[0050] In certain aspects the connector element is stamped and
includes a raised protrusion which extends from a face of the
connector element which faces the securing portion and inserts into
a void in the securing portion. In other aspects the single flat
plate is stamped and bent wherein at least part of the leg portion
includes a stamping therein which creates a raised portion of said
single plate relative to an adjacent portion. In other aspects a
bend is in said single plate between said leg portion and said
securing portion such that said securing portion and said leg
portion are transverse to each other first support is a fixed
support.
[0051] In certain aspects method is provided for manufacturing a
plurality of chairs including one or more steps of: providing a
plurality of frame pieces, each frame piece cut from one or more
flat plates utilizing a two dimensional cutting pattern such that
at least two of the plurality of frame pieces were cut from one
flat plate, each frame piece comprising three portions which are a
securing portion, a back support portion and a seat support
portion; providing a plurality of backrests and connecting each
backrest between the two back supports of two of the plurality of
frame pieces; providing a plurality of seats and connecting each
seat between the two seat support portions of the two of the
plurality of frame pieces; the backrest and seat supported entirely
by the securing portions and through the back and seat support
portions such that each chair is configured to be cantilevered from
a first support secured to the securing portions of the chair.
[0052] In certain aspects the method includes providing a connector
part which has been fed, cut and drilled from an extrusion to
create the connector part, the connector part has a face transverse
to a face of the securing portion; and securing said connector part
to said securing portion, said connector part securing to said
first support between the first support and the securing portion.
In other aspects said plurality of frame pieces are provided with a
bend between the securing portion and the leg support portion. In
certain aspects said securing portion has one or more holes therein
and a connector part is secured through the one or more holes to
the securing portion, the connector part including a face
transverse to a face of the securing portion through which the one
or more holes pass. In other aspects a removable connection allows
for separation of the chair from the first support by loosening
fewer than six fasteners. In further aspects a removable connection
allows for separation from the first support by loosening four or
fewer fasteners. In still other aspects separation following
loosening requires one or more of a sliding and a rotating movement
of the frame pieces corresponding to each chair.
[0053] Other objects of the invention and its particular features
and advantages will become more apparent from consideration of the
following drawings and accompanying detailed description and
appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0054] FIG. 1 is perspective view of three chairs mounted on the
beam seating system according to the present invention.
[0055] FIG. 1A-C are perspective views of a beam system similar to
FIG. 1 with different chair, table and railing variants mounted to
the beam.
[0056] FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1.
[0057] FIG. 3 is a front view of FIG. 1 and FIG. 3A is a front view
of FIG. 1C
[0058] FIG. 4 is a detail view of FIG. 2 and FIG. 4A is a side
detail view of FIG. 1A
[0059] FIG. 5 is a detail view of FIG. 3
[0060] FIG. 6 is a side view of the beam in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6A is a
side view of the beam in FIG. 1A-C.
[0061] FIGS. 7-9 are side views of the beam system of FIG. 1
showing the process of securing the chairs to the beam.
[0062] FIGS. 10-13 are side views of alternate chairs secured to
the beam system of FIG. 1 and show different riser/wall heights
behind the chair.
[0063] FIGS. 14-16 show a floor mounted beam according to FIG.
1
[0064] FIGS. 17-19 show perspective and top views of the beam
system according to FIG. 1 installed on a curved riser.
[0065] FIGS. 20-21 show side views of the system according to FIG.
1 with an alternate connector piece use and that connector
alone.
[0066] FIG. 22 shows a side view of an alternate anchoring
configuration for the system of FIG. 1.
[0067] FIG. 23 shows a front view of a beam section depicting the
mounding system of FIG. 22.
[0068] FIG. 24 is a perspective detail view of FIG. 1 with
components of the chair removed.
[0069] FIG. 25A-C are two perspective views and a side view of one
tilt mechanism which can be used in the chair of FIG. 1.
[0070] FIG. 26 shows a perspective view of the seat of the chair of
FIG. 1.
[0071] FIGS. 27-34 shows perspective views of the tilt mechanism
which can be used in the chair of FIG. 1.
[0072] FIG. 35 shows a perspective view of an alternate
construction of the chair frame
[0073] FIG. 36 shows a detail perspective view of part of FIG.
35
[0074] FIG. 37 shows a perspective view of one part of FIG. 35.
[0075] FIG. 38 shows a top view of FIG. 37.
[0076] FIG. 39-41 show a front perspective, top view and side
perspective view of an alternate part for the chair of FIG. 35.
[0077] FIG. 42-43 show side views of alternate beam extrusions and
mounting systems according to the present invention.
[0078] FIG. 44-45 show a side views of alternate beam extrusions
and damps according to the present invention.
[0079] FIG. 46A-C show the beam system mounted on a variety of
riser heights.
[0080] FIGS. 47 and 48 show perspective views of extrusions which
can be used to make the chairs described and shown herein.
[0081] FIG. 49 is a process flow showing an embodiment of a
manufacturing process of a chair described and shown herein.
[0082] FIGS. 50-52 show side, and two perspective views of
components of the chair's tilt bracket.
[0083] FIGS. 53-54 show a CAD file layout for cutting the
supports.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0084] Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference
numerals designate corresponding structure throughout the views.
The following examples are presented to further illustrate and
explain the present invention and should not be taken as limiting
in any regard.
[0085] FIGS. 1, 1A-C and 2 show the beam system 100 with riser 2
having the beam 4 secured thereto. The run section 1 of the riser
structure is shown longer than a typical installation as the next
row riser would be placed relatively close to the front of the seat
bottom 8, while providing adequate room for users to move in and
out of the rows or as necessary for relevant building codes. As
shown, the chair includes support 6 which is secured to the beam 4
and provides support for the backrest 11 and the seat bottom 8.
Arms 12 are also provided, typically with one end chair (left most
chair in the drawing) having two arms with the remaining chairs
having only one side with an arm. However, chairs with two arms
each can be provided as well.
[0086] The beam 4 as shown has its rear face substantially in
contact along the entire direction of the beam (or optionally with
a small spacer between the beam and the riser). It is understood
that slight variations/imperfections in the concrete can cause lack
of contact along certain locations along the beam length, but
generally, the beam is designed to mount flush to the riser (with a
small spacer, typically non-metallic). In general, it is preferred
that at least 25%, more preferably at least 40%, even more
preferably at least 60%, even more preferably at least 80% and most
preferably the entire length of the beam has contact with the riser
(or if mounted on the floor, the run) with only small spaces
between to inhibit corrosion or provide for leveling adjustments
due to imperfections in the concrete surface. In preferred
embodiments one spacer is a non-metallic material bonded to the
rear of the beam, for example, electrical tape.
[0087] More preferably, this contact is on the top and bottom
portions of the beam (with longitudinal spacers), and in some
situations, there is a gap between the concrete and beam between
the top and bottom portions, but generally the length of the beam
is in contact with the support (via the spacers). This allows the
beam to avoid twisting and making noise. Particularly, most
available beam seating systems have the beam suspended from
supports which attach to the floor or concrete riser. These
supports are spaced and this means that between the supports, the
beam is more apt to twist when e.g. someone sits on a seat attached
to the beam between supports. This twisting can cause someone
sitting down and standing up to cause other adjacent seats to also
move and twist due to the seats being connected by a common beam.
With the contact of the rear face as described, the beam is less
apt to twisting and provides a more secure attachment to the
support. Further, the suspended beam portion of existing systems
when hit will vibrate and cause noise somewhat like a tuning fork
would in that metal vibrating tends to make a sound. The contact
with the rear face of the beam to the support inhibits or
eliminates this noise/vibration. The rear face of the beam which is
closest to the riser or first support is provided very close in a
way that the rear face is more or less inaccessible to clamping
from a connector which secures to a support item such as a chair.
As such, the beam protrudes away from the rear face to provide
appropriate surfaces to hang and clamp support items such as a
chair to the beam. This hanging/clamping to the beam is done
without interaction with the rear face (which is the rear most face
of the beam) and while the a connector may secure to a rear facing
face of the beam, still, the rear face which is mounted close to
the riser/first support is not the face to which the connector
secures/clamps to.
[0088] Further, contact between the beam and the support tends to
mean that the beam takes up less space which in turn allows the
space in the stadium when the seats are removed to be more useful
as the beam is not hanging out a large distance from the riser. In
this manner, TV cameras or announcer boxes or other features other
than stadium seats have more space which allows the stadium to have
greater flexibility. It is understood that the thin rubber or
plastic or other backing/shim/spacer sandwiched between the beam
and support which would be considered equivalent to the beam being
in contact with the support. FIG. 1A-C shows a beam 4 which
utilizes a similar channel to that of FIG. 1, but utilizes a single
center anchor mounting inside the channel rather than two anchors
mounted outside the channel. By providing for a single anchor
mounting (i.e. multiple single anchors spaced rather than pairs
spaced longitudinally), the process of attaching the beam to the
concrete is significantly faster and less expensive and the beam
can fit into smaller riser spaces (FIG. 46A).
[0089] Typical anchor mounting will involve drilling a hole in the
concrete riser, preferably using the beam as a template to locate
the holes. Then expansion bolts are placed in and expanded or a
threaded rod is inserted with epoxy in the hole. Further benefits
of the present system and the provided notch or groove 19 allows
for holes to be drilled on site as necessary. Importantly, the beam
will need to secure to the concrete without interfering with other
features in the riser. The anchors also cannot go too dose to the
end of a riser section, cannot drill into an expansion joint in the
stadium and if there is a crack in the concrete where a hole is
supposed to go, the hole cannot be drilled and must be located in a
different place. Thus, when drilling for the anchors, locations
where the existing and provided holes in the beam do not line up in
acceptable locations can be determined and a hole in the beam can
be made where the adjusted hole should go with a hole in the
concrete following. While other systems may provide separate
supports which secure to the concrete and then that the beam
secures to the supports, a location where holes cannot be drilled
could prove problematic in that the beam is provided with different
and potentially much longer than designed lengths between supports
which could cause twisting due to the beam being located relatively
far away from the concrete riser in comparison to the present
system.
[0090] As shown in FIG. 17, the riser system may also be curved,
this is especially common in corners and/or ends of stadiums.
Because the beam projects a small distance from the riser and also
has the open front channel, it tends to have a smaller moment of
inertia (as used in a bending calculation) such that the beam is
able to bend along its longitudinal direction with relative ease as
compared to other prior art beams. For example, prior art beams are
often of a square tube cross section or other closed but hollow
cross section. This means that in order to bend these prior art
beams, hydraulic or electric bending presses or roll benders are
required in order to fit the mounting system on curved rows.
Alternately, many small pieces of beams can be used along the
curve, but this significantly increase installation costs and
limits the flexibility of the seating arrangements available in
those section. However, the present beam can be bent by use of the
concrete anchors and human developed force. For example, the beam
can be drilled with mounting holes first and then one concrete
anchor is aligned and secured at one end of the beam. Next, the
location of the next concrete anchor is determined and drilled in
the concrete and the beam is pressed towards that anchor. Since the
radius of the first support (riser) is relatively large (shallow
curve), the nut for the anchor can be threaded easily or with a
little bit of pressure from the installer. The anchor is then
tightened and the process of tightening the anchor bends the beam
into place such that the rear face of the beam contacts the riser.
Once secured to the riser, the beam is unlikely to bend further as
it is supported by a large concrete structure. Since the beam is
relatively tall as compared to its projection, this provides
vertical resistance to bending between the anchors which is
sufficient to support the chairs and the weight of people sitting
in the chairs. Thus, by the beam being in contact with the support
and the rear face of the beam generally not being accessible for
securing chairs to the beam, the beam can take up less space, be
bent to match curved risers and can avoid vibration and twisting
once chairs are installed.
[0091] The beam 2 in particular embodiments is of a height
(measured vertically in FIG. 6) which is at least three times the
depth (measured horizontally in FIG. 6) and includes the open
channel in the front face which opening at the front of the beam
extends generally at least 30% of the height, with the opening
measured between the front most obstructions of the channel, 32 and
26. More particularly the height is at least four or even more
particularly at least five the depth and more particularly the
opening is at least 40% or more particularly 50% or more even more
particularly at least 60% of the height.
[0092] FIG. 1A shows an armless chair mounted to the beam. FIG. 1B
shows FIG. 1A but with one of the chairs replaced for a table 8'.
FIG. 1C shows another support item which can attach to the beam,
namely a railing 8'' which includes rail support 6''. As shown in
FIG. 3A and FIG. 1C, the chairs and railings (and table) all
utilize the same support bracket or connector part 350 which in the
shown embodiments is riveted to the various supports. The railing
support 6'' is provided from flat cut plate similar to the chair
which provides significant flexibility in railing design and
securing. Further, as seen in FIG. 3A, the bracket 350 is located
between two adjacent chairs, thus allowing the railing and the
chairs to all mount to the same beam at the same time.
[0093] As can be seen in FIG. 3, the support 6 includes plate 60 or
securing portion which is formed by bending the support. It is this
plate 60 which assists in securing to the beam.
[0094] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the plate 60 has bolts 10 there
through which secure to connector 16 which includes two threaded
holes. In this example, the connector 16 is a flat plate, but other
shapes can be utilized. The beam is secured to the riser 2 with
threaded anchors 18 and nuts 20. These anchors 18 are typically
commercially available concrete anchors as the riser 2 is typically
made from concrete. However, the riser may be made of another
material and other conventional fasteners appropriate for securing
the beam to the riser may be used. The beam may be initially
provided without holes for the anchors 18 and instead a notch 19 is
provided generally running along the length of the beam both for
the top and bottom bolts. The beam can then be cut for the
particular row length on site and the idea anchor location can be
determined. Once determined, the beam can be drilled and notch 19
will help the installer locate the drill bit at the correct
location vertically with the lateral location at the discretion of
the installer (or architect/engineer/manager as appropriate).
[0095] The channel 160 of the beam as shown in FIG. 6 has a number
of important features which enable the connector 16 to secure
easily to the beam from the front and also allow for easy removal
or repositioning of the chair.
[0096] The rear face 200 of the beam is mounted facing the riser 2
Upper extension 22 extends adjacent upper tab 40 and this upper tab
includes part of the rear face 200 of the beam. Downward (or
inward) extending tab 24 extends to end 26 from the upper extension
22. Catch 34 extends from the inner face of the channel 160 and a
bottom outward edge 340 is located at a distance above face 31
which is substantially equal the distance from the bottom edge 70
of connector 16 to the top 71 of bolt 10 to allow for vertical
movement of the support 6 to be restricted once the bolt 10 is
screwed in enough to interact with the catch 34. A second catch
(not shown) may be provided to interact with the lower bolt of the
two shown in a similar fashion, or the catch may be moved down to
interact with the lower bolt. The lower extension 28 extends from
lower tab 42 which includes part of the rear face 200 of the beam.
This extension 28 also has a upward (or inward) extending tab 30
that extends to end 32 and outer surface 33 is provided to support
the lower edge 70 of plate 60 once installation is completed. The
distance from end 32 to end 26 is smaller than the distance from
end 70 to 72 of the connector 16. In this manner, the connector 16
is retained by tabs 24/30 once the connector is fitted inside the
channel 160 of the beam. The distance from end 32 to upper inner
end 39 of the interior face of the extension 22 is larger than the
distance from end 70 to end 72 of the connector 16. In this manner,
the connector 16 can be easily inserted into the channel, but is
also retained once located appropriately and fastened. Thus, the
tab 30 provides an obstruction for the connector 16 inserting into
and exiting the channel in that the obstruction requires the
connector to be positioned in a specific manner in order to allow
for insertion/removal of the connector 16. In the embodiment shown,
the upper and lower extensions include hollow sections 33/33' which
provide for weight savings of the beam. FIG. 6 also shows spacer
186 on the rear face of the beam. Preferably, the beam is a metal
extrusion, typically aluminum and in this case, it is desirable to
separate the metal from the concrete to inhibit/prevent corrosion
due to contact with the concrete. Corrosive tendencies between
aluminum and concrete are particularly important to avoid and thus
spacer 186 will typically be a non-metallic and preferably of an
electrically non-conductive material. Vinyl tape (electrical tape)
or adhesive backed rubber are examples of suitable materials.
[0097] FIG. 6A shows a beam similar to FIG. 6 but with the anchor
notch 19 located in the channel (FIG. 4A shows where the anchor 18'
goes through the beam, with the center axis of the hole located at
the notch). FIG. 6A provides a second catch 340 as compared to FIG.
6A and the tab 40/42 removed with the rear face of the beam
modified to accommodate clip on spacers 186'/186''. As shown, these
spacers have a cavity which clips on to a cooperatively shaped
protrusion on the beam's rear face and through interference fit,
the spacers will secure to the beam. Spacer 186'' is optionally
provided with a center drilled hole located where the anchor will
pass through. Typically these spacers 186'/186'' are roughly 0.5-5
inches wide or more particularly 1-2 inches wide, but longer or
narrower widths are contemplated.
[0098] FIGS. 7-9 show how the connector 16 is inserted into the
beam. In FIG. 7, the connector is positioned at angle 73 and
inserted 75 such that end 72 goes fills space 38 or preferably
contacts inner end 39. The connector is then tilted/rotated
(clockwise in the view shown) to be at a second angle (shown
generally vertical--See FIG. 8). Then, once generally vertical, end
70 has passed over end 32 and the connector can be slid downwardly
80 as shown in FIG. 8 so that end 70 contacts face 31. Further, end
74 of the plate 60 contacts face 33 and is supported thereby.
[0099] As shown in FIG. 9, the bolts are tightened 92, pressing 900
the plate 60 against the beam, specifically the outer faces of tabs
24/30. The result is that the bolts clamp the tabs 24/30 between
the connector 16 and plate 60 while the bottom faces both inner 31
and outer 30 faces which are in/adjacent the channel 160 support
the bottom of the plate 60 to inhibit downward movement of the
chair. Vertical movement is inhibited by interaction of the bolts
with catch 340 to prevent the connector 16 and specifically its
upper edge 72 from sliding up into space 38 and thus allowing the
bottom edge 70 of the connector to be removed. In certain
embodiments, the catch 340 may be longer than shown, thus requiring
a significant portion of the bolt to be un-threaded to allow for
removal of the seat out the front of the beam. In this manner,
chairs can be secured to the beam at any position along the beam
without interference from any structure which supports the beam and
the interface between the beam and the chairs is very close to the
riser 2. Further, with the bolts loosened, the chairs can be slid
along the beam to provide for ease of adjustment (left to right
from the view of FIG. 3). Further, the anchors which connect the
beam to the first support will not interfere with this sliding
motion. It is also understood that prior to the bolts being
tightened, the connector 16 would be retained in the channel
against linear outward movement opposite the direction of arrow
900, but that upward movement of the connector 16 would allow the
connector to be removed once the tab/end 30/32 is cleared from
interference with the bottom 70 of the connector 16.
[0100] Typically, the interface between the chair and beam is less
than 5 inches away from the riser, more particularly less than 4
inches, more particularly less than 3 inches and even more
particularly less than 2 inches away from the riser 2. The result
of this is that the distance from the riser 2 to the seat pivot is
fairly small, resulting in less space taken up by the seat when the
seat bottom 8 is in the up position, thus saving significant space
on a per-row basis as the run per row is typically dependent on how
much space is required between the seat when in the closed (or
un-occupied) position and the riser in front thereof. Further, the
closer the seat pivot to the beam, the smaller the bending moment
due created when the chair is occupied. This allows less material
to be used to provide adequate support for the chair.
[0101] Due to the configuration of the beam in that the beam is
secured to the riser through bolts which are outside of the
channel, the chair and chair support can be secured at any position
along the beam and the manner in which the beam secures to the
riser will not interfere with the chair securing to the channel.
This enables the beam to be installed and then a variety of seats
to be used. For example, a "VIP" configuration seat which may be
larger and wider than other seats can be secured to the beam and
then replaced with another type of seat, depending on the needs of
the stadium/auditorium for the particular event. Seats can also be
easily removed as needed without having beams/supports protruding
extensively from the riser face in that the beam will only extend a
matter of inches out from the riser face.
[0102] Furthermore, the support 6 and plate 60 are formed by
bending and stamping a metal plate which provides for a more simple
manufacturing process which also does not require expensive molds
to create a beam securing system. Furthermore, the connector 16 in
preferred embodiments is also a metal plate with two threaded holes
sized appropriately to fit in the channel 160 in the manner
described herein. It is understood that connector 16' could replace
connector 16 and function and operate in the same similar manner
for purposes of the chair installation process.
[0103] Referring to FIGS. 10-13 the beam system is shown with a
different style chair mounted thereto and various dimensions are
shown. Particularly, comparing FIG. 10 to 11 (and 12 to 13), FIGS.
11 and 13 show relatively high vertical wall behind the chair. As a
result, the arm 206 which secured between the beam and chair is
relatively long as compared to FIGS. 10 and 12 in that the backrest
is angled back, thus the longer length of the arm 206 is required
for clearance. As this arm is longer, it results in significantly
higher stresses on the beam. As a result, it may be desirable in
certain instances to place the beam on the floor as shown in FIGS.
14-16, thus reducing the need for the cantilever arm 206 to extend
a long length and placing the beam generally under the weight of
the user. This system may also be used in auditoriums with straight
rows on an floor (angled or flat) in that the chairs could be
removed to only leave the beams on the ground to allow for
placement of e.g. a false floor on top of the beams to provide for
a generally open space if seating is not desired. Due to the small
profile of the beam, this increased flexibility is provided for the
auditorium to have a variety of flexible seating (and standing
room) configurations.
[0104] FIG. 17-19 shows the beam being installed on a curved riser
2'. Curved risers are often found in the corners of large stadiums
and present a difficult issue for installers of common beam
systems. Particularly, many beam systems are relatively stiff in
both vertical and horizontal bending, meaning that the curve of the
riser would need to be bent into the beam via horizontal bending in
order for the beam to fit. Alternately, multiple smaller straight
sections of beam would be employed to fit around the curve. In
either case, large bending machines would be required or it would
be necessary to make more cuts and fits of the beam to fit around
the curved riser. However, in the present system, the beam is stiff
in the vertical bending direction but generally not as stiff in the
horizontal bending direction as shown in FIGS. 17-19. Due to the
curve riser 2' having a relatively large radius of curvature, and
due to the dimensions of the beam and its ability to bend easily,
the beam can easily be bent by the installer without use of large
bending tools such as hydraulic or electric presses. Rather, the
anchors 18 provide sufficient force to allow the beam to bend to
match the riser 2' curve. As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, typically
bolt and nut 180 will be installed on the end of the beam and it
will be pressed 182 towards the riser. The beam can be pre-drilled
with holes and then the anchors 18 would be located accordingly.
With the end bolt 180 on, the beam is progressively pushed 183 onto
other anchors 18 going down the length of the beam. This
progressively bends the beam until it is secured to the riser in
the curved configuration. As the curve is relatively gentle (large
radius), the connectors can be inserted as shown in the previous
figures without significant problems due to the slightly modified
shape of the beam. Typically, the connectors for the seat would be
spaced apart slightly more as compared to a straight beam as the
end of the seats would tend to be closer together due to the curve
of the beam. The beam as shown in FIGS. 17-18 is substantially
straight before it is bent to conform to the riser as shown in FIG.
19. While the beam may not be perfectly straight, as it is
extruded, it is designed to generally be straight and there can be
some imperfections or variances in the beam that make it less than
perfectly straight. The bending process from FIG. 18-19 will
generally conform the beam to the riser whereas the beam begins the
process generally being a straight extrusion within acceptable
manufacturing tolerances. This substantially straight beam is
contrasted with a beam or pipe which is designed to be curved from
the manufacturing process (e.g. a curved extrusion or a straight
extrusion placed in a bending/rolling press to pre-bend the beam to
curve). As can be seen, spacer 186 is between the beam and the
riser 2' and additional spacers 184 may be used as shims to account
for variances in the riser 2' geometry, for example, if portions of
the riser 2' where the beam is mounted are not perfectly vertical
(or at the desired angle). Spacers 184 are shown as a washer, but
other geometries can be employed and the spacers 184 do not
necessarily need to be secured around the bolts/anchors as shown.
It is understood that a similar method of assembly can be used for
the non-curved risers 2 but that the described bending would not be
necessary or would be less necessary. There may still be some
bending employed with straight risers due to variances in the riser
surface. The spacers 184/186 are equally applicable for straight
and curved risers. As can be seen, the rear face of the beam is
designed to be anchored to the riser in close proximity both for
curved and straight configurations of the riser. By keeping the
riser and rear beam face in close proximity the beam is more able
to transfer the stiffness of the riser to the chair such that the
twisting or cantilevered bending resistance of the chair does not
rely primarily on the ability of the beam to resist torsion. Other
prior art beam systems will commonly have "L" shaped mounts to
which the beam then sits on top of. The result is that the beam's
torsional stiffness becomes the primary way in which the chair
cantilever support is accomplished. The result is that the chairs
will tend to "vibrate" and that sitting on one chair may twist the
beam such that it impacts other chairs. By providing a number of
anchors along the length of the beam, this "vibration" or twisting
is significantly minimized and can be further minimized by simply
adding more anchors. At the same time, chairs (or other support
items) can be easily removed and/or repositioned by simply
loosening the four bolts that clamp the connector to the beam.
Thus, one critical improvement to the present system is that the
rear beam face is very close to the riser and in preferred
embodiments only spacers to avoid corrosive tendencies of aluminum
and concrete contact and any shims needed to adjust for surface
level are provided on the rear of the beam. Typically, the spacing
between the riser and rear beam face will be less than a thickness
of the beam where the anchors pass through the beam. Similar
spacing holds true for when the beam is mounted on the floor such
that the bottom face of the beam is equally close to the floor. It
is understood that the bottom face in the floor mounted
configuration would be the same face of the beam as the rear face
in the riser mounted configuration.
[0105] FIG. 20-21 shows an alternative connector 16'. The connector
16' includes posts 163'/163'' adjacent to the threaded holes. In
this case, the posts are positioned between but adjacent the
respective threaded holes, but the reverse could also be used. The
ends 162' and 164' are spaced in a manner similar to connector 16
in view of the internal dimensions of the beam cavity. The posts
163'/163'' press against the face of plate 60 which is part of the
chair support so that progressively tightening the bolts 10 does
not continue to bend the plate 16' in that the posts bear directly
against the face of the plate 60 such that the distance between the
posts 163'/163'' is minimized such that significant bending of the
connector 16' is inhibited. However, the height of the post
163'/163'' is about equal to or slightly smaller than the thickness
of the portions of the beam which are clamped between the connector
and the chair support (e.g. the rear face 362 of the part shown in
FIG. 41 or similar face of other similar parts/portions of the
chair and the portions of the beam 26/30 which define the narrowed
opening into which the connector inserts as shown in FIGS. 7-9.
This can inhibit failure of the system due to the warping of the
connector. Further, between end 162' and center portion 165' is a
thicker section 161' through which the threaded hole passes and a
curved/fillet area is located between thicker section 161' and the
end 162'. The other side of the connector 16' is shown with the
same geometry. In this manner when faces 166' and 167' press
against the interior of the beam to create the clamping action, the
curved section along with the thicker section 161' tends to further
inhibit bending/warping of the connector 16' while at the same time
allowing for the ends 162'/164' to insert and fit into the beam
channel/cavity during installation and the posts 163'/163'' to bear
against the rear of the plate 60. It is understood that certain
drawings show connector 16' and others show connector 16, but that
each figure/embodiment can use either connector 16 or 16'.
Preferably, connector 16' is used though.
[0106] The distance from face 166' to the end of post 163' is equal
to or less than the thickness of tab 24 and the same relationship
holds true with respect to post 163'' and face 167' as related to
tab 30. Preferably, this distance is less than the tab 24/30
thickness in a manner which allows for sufficient damping pressure
to be generated between plate 60 and the connector. In this manner,
the damping pressure can be designed into the system to inhibit
bending of the connector 16' during installation due to an
installer being overly aggressive in their tightening in a manner
that the tightening actually causes the connector 16' to bend. As
can be seen, the connector 16' (and connector 16) allows for a bolt
to secure thereto without use of separate nuts in that the threads
are integrally cut into the connector. By using two threaded holes
and corresponding bolts, tightening of one bolt uses the other bolt
in part to inhibit rotation of the connector 16' (or 16) due to the
torque on the first bolt. This allows the chairs (or other support
items) to be secured to the beam with a minimum amount of pieces,
particularly four bolts without the need for separate nuts. Thus,
for each side of the chair to secure to the beam, only three
separate parts (2 bolts, 1 connector) are required (six total parts
per chair). This greatly simplifies installation.
[0107] Referring to FIG. 22, in some cases, the concrete riser is
too small to have the anchors positioned in tabs 40/42 of the beam.
To that end, anchors 18' can be located in the interior space of
the beam. It is further understood that a groove similar to groove
19 can be provided where anchors 18' are centered in the interior
of the beam, specifically that a groove can extend along the
longitudinal direction of the beam to allow the installer to drill
the beam at a number of locations. In the configuration shown,
typically, the upper and lower anchors would be offset (FIG. 23)
with respect to each other in the longitudinal direction. It is
also contemplated that combinations of the anchors positioned can
be provided or that the beam can be provided without the tabs 40/42
shown, depending on the desired configuration, mounting
requirements and riser height/position.
[0108] It is understood that other items may be mounted to the beam
in addition to chairs by utilizing the same connector structure,
but with different things supported from the connector.
Particularly, items such as tables and railings can be mounted in
addition to media and camera equipment. The beam and connector
system disclosed herein can be adapted to releasably secure a
variety of items to the beam in a modular and easy to modify
manner.
[0109] FIG. 24 shows the support 6 has a leg portion 62. A seat
support portion 68 extends outwards with respect to the leg portion
62. A backrest support portion 66 extends above the leg portion 62
and the seat support portion 68. The plate 60 is cut on a 2d
cutting machine (e.g. water jet/laser, plasma) and then formed by
bend 61 (FIG. 24) and the depression/protrusion 64 (depending on
which side the same is viewed from) is stamped in the support 6 to
provide additional rigidity to the support frame 6. This
depression/protrusion 64 includes a central generally planar/flat
portion with a surrounding angled/curved portion. In certain
aspects the connector 16 is not utilized with the beam mounting
system and instead the plate 60 is simply bolted to the fixed
support. As shown, the depression/protrusion 64 is generally
located on the leg support 62 and is generally elongated in a
vertical direction, terminating about at the center of the pivot 82
of the chair. More particularly, the depression/protrusion 64 is
shown terminating below the backrest 10. The backrest portion 66
generally does not require added rigidity due to a stamping in that
this backrest portion 66 is inhibited from buckling due to the
backrest 10 being attached thereto. However, without the stamping
which provides the depression/protrusion, the thickness of the
support 6 would typically need to be greater to avoid
instability/buckling issues under load. It is contemplated that a
thicker support 6 or the stamping (or both) could be used,
depending on the design requirements. But, typically, it would be
preferable to use a thinner support 6 with the stamping to allow
for material savings.
[0110] Although it is shown that the bend 61 is generally
vertically located such that the plate 60 is on the rear end of the
leg portion 62, it is also contemplated that the bend 61 could
extend horizontally such that the plate extends from the bottom end
of the leg portion 62 to act as a foot. In either case, the seat
would be mounted/cantilevered to the fixed support by virtue of the
plate 60 being fixedly secured directly or indirectly to the fixed
support such that the seat is cantilevered from the plate 60.
[0111] Weight 78 is provided to secure to the seat (which may be
blow molded) and allows the seat to rotate to the dosed position
automatically when un-occupied. Anchors 86 connect the plate 80 to
the seat 8. Similar anchors mount the seat backrest 10.
[0112] Referring to FIGS. 25A-C and FIG. 26, the seat tilt
mechanism is shown. Inner plate 3 includes curved channels 98/96
and outer plate 5 has similar channels but with a larger portion
which receives bumper 92. Both plates 3/5 are cut from planar
sheets and can be cut using two dimensional cutting tools such as a
water jet or laser cutter. The plates are then stacked on top of
each other with the bumper 92 inserted into one and the plates are
bolted 100 to the frame 6 of the chair (specifically the seat
support portion 68 of the frame 6). The bushing 102 rests in
central hole 800 which pin 82 secured to plate 80 extends from. The
bumper is roughly the same thickness as plate 5 and gets sandwiched
between plate 3 and the support 6. Two additional pins 84/86 also
extend from plate 80 (FIG. 26) and rotate through the channels 90,
98 and 96, 88. The outer view of the assembly with outer plate 17
removed is shown in FIGS. 25B and 25C. Channel 90 includes an
enlarged opening 95 in the area of the bumper 92 and a narrowing
portion 94 which narrows towards the enlarged area so that the
bumper 92 can be slid laterally (in and out of the page) and then
when the plate 5 is secured between frame 6 and inner plate 3, the
bumper 92 is retained in opening 95. As the seat lifts up pin 84
hits bumper 92 which dampens the movement and absorbs energy and
also inhibits noise to ensure quiet operation. FIG. 26 shows the
pin plate 80 which includes pins 82, 84 and 86 secured thereto, for
example, by welding or bolting. The seat pivots about pin 82 which
is provided as a larger diameter as it bears more load than the
other pins. Although shown with two outer pins 84/86 and two
channels 90/88, the plates could be provided instead with only two
pins (pin 82 and one more) and the plates could be provided with
one channel and a hole for pin 82. However, the two pins 84/86 and
corresponding channels provide added distribution of loading in the
occupied position.
[0113] FIGS. 27-34 show an alternate seat tilt mechanism which is
riveted 1000 to the support portion 68. FIG. 29 shows the support
portion 68 and rivets 1000 removed and outer plate 5000 is shown
with channel 8800 which allows pin 8600 to move therein back and
forth between open and dosed positions of the seat. Pin 8000 rests
in the center pivot and includes a snap on bushing 8202 which is
preferably made of plastic and is generally configured as a ring
with a cut therethrough at one end to allow for snap on insertion
by opening the cut to bend back the ring and placing it over the
narrower portion of pin 8202 which is attached securely to the seat
bottom. Opposite channel 8800 is a larger opening which allows for
insertion of the pins 8600, 8400 and 8000 at an insertion angle
(which may be a range of angles). When pin 8600 is aligned with
space 8004 (with the seat about half way between open and closed
positions) and the cap 7000 removed, the pins 8000, 8600 and 8400
can be slid out perpendicular to the rotation axis of pin 8000, or
inserted in a similar way. FIG. 34 shows line 222 where when the
centers of pins 8000, 8600 and 8400 are all aligned with that line
222, the seat can be moved out or in along the path of the line
(once the cap is removed). Otherwise, the seat is retained in the
bracket, particularly, pin 8600 inhibits removal.
[0114] Cap 7000 is preferably a plastic cap which has tabs which
clip into openings 5002/5002' on the outer plate 5000 (similar
openings also are provided in the inner plate 3000. The center pin
8000 is provided with a generally "T" shaped cross section. In this
manner, the portion which receives the bushing 8202 will generally
bear against the inner plate 3000 (through the bushing) to allow
for rotation and the upper portion of the "T" shape will rotate
within opening 5006 and be constrained from movement along the
rotation axis by shelf 6006 which is defined by the difference in
size between opening 3006 and 5006. As the seat bracket assembly
shown in FIG. 27-34 is mirrored on the left side (right side is
shown), the right side will inhibit movement of the pin 8000
towards the left and the left side will inhibit movement towards
the right. In this manner, the left and right pin 8000 of the seat
stay positioned within the bracket assembly. Stops are created by
surfaces 5004, 3004 and 5004', 3004' and these sops interact with
pin 8400 in the open and dosed positions of the seat. Pins 8600 and
8400 are also preferably provided with bumpers thereon, in
particular embodiments a rubber "0" ring works well to provide
noise dampening and to avoid metal on metal contact as the pins hit
the respective stops. Channel 8800 is provided with stops as the
ends of the channel. In this bracket assembly, similar to the
assembly shown in FIGS. 25A-C, the pieces 5000, 3000 can be cut
from flat plate much like the rest of the chair and this allows for
2-d cutting tools such as water jet or laser cutting to be used in
manufacturing. This provides a metal bracket but also allows for
easy removal of the chair bottom from the bracket in a manner which
allows for easier and more compact shipping of the chair in that
the supports 6, chair back 10, seat bottom 8 can all be shipped
disassembled and easily assembled together on-site. In addition,
the modular nature of the seat back 10 and bottom 8 in relation to
the supports 6 allows for different back/bottom configurations to
be offered, but still be usable with the same frame. For example, a
padded seat/back could be a more expensive option whereas blow
molded (no padding) seat/back could be a less expensive option, but
with both utilizing the same seat frame and bracket assembly.
[0115] FIGS. 50-52 show an alternate single plate tilt bracket made
from extrusion 1001 (FIG. 47). Pins 86/84 are provided and pin 82'
is also provided with a "T" shaped cross section The relief cut 501
is machined from the extrusion 1001 and relief cuts 500 are also
cut from the extrusion which is then fed longitudinally and cut off
to create the bracket. Cap (FIG. 52) has nubs 500' which sit in
notch 500 to inhibit movement along the rotation axis of the seat
of the cap and then the catches at the end of the "C" shape fit
into the corresponding notches in the bracket (FIG. 50) to cover
the pin 84. This bracket is also attached to the support,
preferably by rivets.
[0116] Referring to FIG. 35, an alternate chair is provided where
frame 6 is still made from flat plate construction techniques but
the connector piece 350 is separately attached with rivets 352
which pass through holes 354 and corresponding holes in the lower
securing portion 60' of the frame pieces. Vertical face 356 is
bounded by two vertical sides to accept the lower portion of frame
6 therein and vertical face 356 provides some bending/twist
resistance against the frame piece. FIG. 39 depicts an alternate
piece to piece 350 which has holes 354 also for rivets but also is
provided with bosses 357/355 of different shapes such that the
frame piece 6 is provided with corresponding holes to fit the
bosses 357 and to align with holes 354 such that riveting and
fitting is compatible in particular orientations to ensure proper
assembly of the frame 6 to the plate 350'. Essentially, rivets
would enter through holes 354 whereas the bosses/protrusions
357/355 would insert into correspondingly shaped holes/voids in the
securing portion 60' of the frame pieces. These additional holes to
receive the bosses 357/355 can also be cut during when the flat
plates are cut using 2d cutting tools, e.g. laser or water jet
cutting. Piece 350' is stamped and includes rib 358 which provides
for added stiffness to the part 350'. Face 360 will abut the frame
piece at the securing portion 60' with race 362 facing the
beam/first support and connecting to the connector 16/16'. The
riveting will provide a permanent connection between the parts
whereas the connector 16/16' is releasably or removably secured to
the chair with the bolts 10. Other riveting connections described
herein are also considered permanent connections which would need
some form of destructive force to separate parts.
[0117] FIG. 42 shows a side view of a beam which includes a hollow
generally box section 422 co-extruded with the beam section 424
which generally matches that of FIG. 6. The bottom 426 of the box
section 422 connects to legs 420 at intervals along the length of
the beam, typically with bolts or rivets or the like. FIG. 43 shows
an alternate embodiment of FIG. 42 where instead of face 428 being
generally flat, that face includes beam section 424 which generally
matches that of FIG. 6. In this manner, chairs can be mounted
facing opposite directions, but mounted to the same structural
support system. The connector 16' shown in FIG. 20-21 is shown
installed in beam sections 424 but no chair is shown for purposes
of saving illustration space, but it is understood that a chair (or
other supported item) would connect to that connector in the manner
previously described above. The beams which are co-extruded,
especially that of FIG. 42 are especially useful in collapsing
riser systems in that the co-extrusion can be integrated into the
riser system to allow for chairs to be attached on an as-needed
basis and still allow the stair/bleacher/riser system to be stored
out of the way when necessary. The extrusion of FIG. 42 could be
mounted to allow for floor (run) or riser mount on the bleacher
system. An example bleacher system is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos.
8,407,943 and 5,069,007 and the content of these are incorporated
by reference herein.
[0118] FIG. 44 shows an alternate beam configuration with catches
440 and 442 which interact with connector parts 446 and 444 which
likewise secure to a chair. The catches 440 and 442 provide for
generally rearward facing surfaces over which connector parts 446
and 444 will fit. Part 444 would be bolted to part 446 to thereby
secure the chair (or supported item) to the beam. The beam of both
FIGS. 44 and 45 is mounted directly to the support or riser using
the shown anchors in a manner similar to that of previous
figures.
[0119] FIG. 46A-C shows certain flexibility gained in utilizing 2d
cut parts for the chair supports in that leg section 62 length can
be varied based on the riser height such that customizing the chair
to meet the requirements of a particular stadium or auditorium
simply requires modifying the length of the leg section 62 in the
computer aided design (CAD) file for the support. Once modified, a
layout can be generated with multiples of the support patterns on a
single sheet of material which is then cut and the remaining pieces
of the chair would remain the same. Certain prior art beam mounting
systems which allow for attaching the chair at any point of the
beam without interference from mounting supports to the riser
typically utilize injection molded plastic parts to provide for
clipping over the top of the beam and while this may mount the
chair to the beam, the expense of changing the leg length for a
different stadium design requires significant expense in re-tooling
and making new molds. Thus, the flat plate construction provides
the benefits of other beam systems which provide for mounting at
any location along the beam but also provides for flexibility in
design of the chairs and flexibility in the ability to easily
modify the chair or support item heights/dimensions to accommodate
different stadium/auditorium designs. Thus, in the larger riser
variant (FIG. 46C, the leg section 62 length is significantly
reduced or even possibly zero as compared to FIG. 46A which has a
longer leg section 62. FIG. 53-54 shows two example CAD layouts for
cutting a number of supports 6 on a 4'.times.8' flat plate.
[0120] FIGS. 47 and 48 show two extrusions used in the
manufacturing process with extrusion 1001 being used to create the
tilt bracket/hinge to allow the seating surface to tilt up/down.
Extrusion 350'' is used to create the bracket 350 which secures to
the seat supports and to the beam with use of the connector 16'.
The connector 16' would also be initially provided as an extrusion
with the cross section shown. These long extrusions are fed,
machined/drilled and cut over and over to mass produce the parts
which make up the chair. Particularly, the extrusion for the
connector 16' would be fed longitudinally, drilled to create a
threaded hole and then fed longitudinally again and then cut off
with the process repeating. As shown in FIG. 49, the process of
creating the chairs involves creating a 2d layout of the support
1000 and cutting the support from a flat plate 1002 with multiple
supports cut from the same flat plate. The extrusion 350'' is
provided 1004 and fed longitudinally 1006, it is then drilled for
the rivet holes and the holes through which bolts secure to the
threaded holes in the connector 16/16'. The extrusion 350'' is fed
1006 again (not shown a second time) and the lateral cut 1012 is
done to cut off the extrusion and create bracket 350. A similar
process is provided for the extrusion 1001 (feeding 1016, machining
1018, feeding again, cutting laterally 1012). These now
manufactured parts are secured 1014 to the 2d cut support. The
remaining chair parts are added (e.g. back, seat, arms) and the
chair can now be secured to the beam using the connectors
16/16'.
[0121] Importantly with all of the beams and variants which mount
to a floor or riser as described herein, the face of the beam which
faces the mounting surface is relatively close to that surface.
Preferably, the spacing between the two facing surfaces of the beam
and riser/support/floor only has spacers 186/184 there between in
order to minimize spacing between the beam and the
riser/support/floor. Doing this allows for the beam to act more as
an extension of the riser/floor/support, thus transferring its
stiffness to the length of the beam. Generally, the spacing between
the two facing surfaces of the beam and riser/support/floor is less
than 50% of a maximum outward projection distance of the beam. In
more preferred embodiments, this distance is less than 25% the
maximum projection, more particularly less than 15% of the maximum
projection. In preferred embodiments this minimized distance
applies along more than 40% of the length of the beam, more
particularly more than 60% of the length of the beam, even more
particularly more than 80% of the length of the beam and more
preferably more than 90% of the length of the beam. In this manner,
the spacers 184/186 are generally damped between the beam and the
riser/support/floor substantially along the entire length of the
beam. Furthermore, the ability for an installer to locate the notch
19 in the beam (which is understood to be an option in all beam
variants), the installer can locate places where the beam may need
additional support or where undesirable flexing occurs and a hole
can be drilled through the beam at the appropriate location and
also into the concrete, and an anchor installed.
[0122] It should be noted that, while various functions and methods
have been described and presented in a sequence of steps, the
sequence has been provided merely as an illustration of one
advantageous embodiment, and that it is not necessary to perform
these functions in the specific order illustrated. It is further
contemplated that any of these steps may be moved and/or combined
relative to any of the other steps. In addition, it is still
further contemplated that it may be advantageous, depending upon
the application, to utilize all or any portion of the functions
described herein.
[0123] Although the invention has been described with reference to
a particular arrangement of parts, features and the like, these are
not intended to exhaust all possible arrangements or features, and
indeed many other modifications and variations will be
ascertainable to those of skill in the art.
* * * * *